Chapter 5 - The Child in the Branches
Eli Reed was found before midnight.
He had been hiding in a sealed storage room inside the brick building.
Hungry.
Exhausted.
Alive.
And terrified of Margaret.
DNA later confirmed Caleb Reed had indeed been Samuel Vale.
Margaret had found her brother.
Samuel had survived 1978.
Now his grandson had returned to the same tree.
Eli explained only part of why.
On his eleventh birthday, he received access to a digital archive Caleb had arranged years before death.
One file contained a photograph of Bellweather oak.
One instruction:
IF THEY EVER CUT DOWN THE TREE, GET THERE FIRST.
Eli discovered demolition permit online.
He ran away from school program and traveled to Bellweather.
He had been sleeping inside abandoned building.
On night Noah frightened Margaret, Eli was already in tree.
Neither boy saw the other through leaves.
When Margaret opened her eyes and said, “I’ve finally found you,” Eli believed she meant him.
He moved toward Noah and grabbed his shoulder to keep him from screaming.
No ghost.
No dead child.
A frightened living boy.
That explained the hand in the present.
But not the hand visible in 1978 photograph.
Nor did it explain Noah’s bedroom photograph.
Eli denied taking it.
He also denied standing across street with Margaret.
Security footage confirmed he remained inside brick building after Noah fled.
Margaret had been in a hotel.
So the two figures outside Noah’s house were neither Margaret nor Eli.
Someone had dressed to resemble them.
Why?
Investigators examined construction-site cameras.
Someone had accessed footage minutes after incident.
Martin Hale.
David’s corporate attorney.
Confronted, Hale admitted he knew Margaret had approached Noah.
He feared she was manufacturing publicity to stop redevelopment.
But he denied sending anyone to Carter house.
Then police discovered he had accelerated demolition.
The oak was scheduled for Monday.
Hale secretly changed work order to Saturday morning.
Before Margaret’s encounter.
“What did you think was under there?” David demanded.
Hale refused to answer.
David fired him.
Police obtained injunction preventing demolition.
Engineers scanned beneath oak.
A rectangular metallic object appeared six feet below roots.
Noah remembered Margaret’s words.
Samuel gave her photograph.
Nathan instructed her to find Noah.
The tree was apparently hiding something both men wanted found.
Then Eli pulled a tiny brass key from inside his shoe.
“My grandfather left me this.”
Margaret stared.
A number was engraved into it.
Eli turned key over.
Three letters appeared on reverse:
N.C.
Nathan Carter.
May you like
Or Noah Carter.
Nobody knew which.
